Benefit claimant numbers in Carmarthenshire are down by 11 per cent this year compared with 2022.

And the county’s three Jobcentres are making it a priority to increase the labour force to help businesses fill their vacancies.

To support this, they are linking up with employers, holding regular jobs fairs and pre-employment training.

The Jobcentres’ work coaches provide every jobseeker with individual support, to help build confidence and develop new skills.

They are encouraging people - whether they are single parents, young, 50- plus or have a health condition - to connect with their Jobcentre to re-join the workforce, or progress in their career.

Jobseekers can also check out the thousands of vacancies on offer by searching the Department for Work and Pensions FindaJob website.

Carmarthenshire DWP Employment and Partnership team supported Carmarthenshire County Council with their Ways to Work event in April.

This event was held in the Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli and was focused on recruitment, health and well-being and cost of  living. The event was a success with 37 stall holders and 145 people attending.

Legacy in the Community Project, which offers support and training to people with disabilities and long-term health conditions, has recently expanded to Carmarthenshire.

The project will be working closely with all the county's Jobcentres, who can be contacted for further information.

In Carmarthenshire the DWP, through the Jobcentres, continues to support many local and national employers in a variety of sectors.

  • All Jobcentres within Carmarthenshire have been supporting care services agency, MIHomecare, to fill their current vacancies. Recruitment days were held in the Jobcentres to interview potential candidates and resulted in 19 candidates succeeding at the first interview stage.
  • Teaching recruitment agency Prospero Teaching, Theld recruitment days in Carmarthen and Llanelli Jobcentres. 
  • Hygiene equipment stockists Cathedral Hygiene attended Llanelli Jobcentre to interview candidates for their current telesales appointer vacancies. There were six successful interviews, and two further customers recently atarted work with the company.
  • Ammanford Jobcentre hosted a very successful agencies employment event, which received positive feedback and resulted in six customers finding jobs.
  • Llanelli Jobcentre has been supporting Acorn Recruitment, who went along to the first employability hub to fill their construction vacancies. The construction vacancies are part of the community benefits agreement on the new Pentre Awel build in Llanelli.
  • Carmarthen Jobcentre is currently supporting Oxfam to recruit for a full time shop manager and supporting the Card Factory who are recruiting for a part time sales assistant.
  • The housing association Pobl Group will now be in Ammanford Jobcentre every fortnight to support customers and recruit for upcoming vacancies within the group.